


Will you marry me?

by FangirlMomets



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Maria Hill is a Good Bro, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 14:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16328030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlMomets/pseuds/FangirlMomets
Summary: Based off this prompt:“I don’t see why you are freaking out.”“He wants me to pretend we are married!”“Aren’t you practically married anyway?”





	Will you marry me?

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to Baye for reading through my stuff. You’re my favorite, girl! 
> 
> Also, as much as I would love to own Marvel or even any one of these characters, I do not. Alas, I am only a poor college student writing to avoid midterms.

“Will you be my husband?” Hot coffee spilled across the counter. _‘Aw, coffee, no.’_ Clint was not awake enough for these kinds of questions. Especially not when they came from the one man he had been in love with since he started working at S.H.I.E.L.D. Phillip Coulson stood quietly in front of the kitchen counter, no signs of nervous energy present. Walking past Coulson to grab a rag to clean up his mess, Clint tamped down the feeling of suspicion that came with the unexpected question because he trusted Phil. He did. 

A deep breath to prepare for his oh so eloquent reply. “What?”

“Would you be my husband?” Coulson repeats slower, misunderstanding the reason for Clint’s confusion. Clint shook his head.

“Why?” So, he wasn’t being extremely eloquent. Sue him. His first cup of coffee was spilled across the counter. The question still plagued him. What exactly did Coulson mean?

Phil sighed. This was the second hardest part of asking Clint to help him out; the hardest was asking for help and keeping the longing for the man he was asking from bleeding through. “My sister is getting married next week, and I may have told her I was bringing my husband with me.” _‘Never mind the fact that it is my biggest hope and dream in the world.’_ Clint just sat there, his heart falling at the idea of pretend. He should have known better. Why would Phil ever want to be with him? Clint just nodded, unable to clear the lump in his throat. He felt tears sting his eyes and quickly turned away to wipe down the counter, rubbing at his eyes surreptitiously. As he was trying to get ahold of himself, Phil walked up behind him. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry I had to pull you into this, Clint. I stupidly told my family a couple of years ago I had gotten married because I wanted them to leave me alone about dating. I never really thought about the consequences. If you don’t want to go, though, I can ask someone else. I just thought that since we were good friends-”

A possessive spark burst in Clint’s chest pushing him to cut Phil off. “No! I don’t mind going, Phil. It was just a little of a surprise to hear your best friend,” and if his heart broke a little more at the use of that phrase, well, no one could blame it, “ask you to be his husband before your first cup of coffee. I will go with you, and I don’t even mind making it look real while we are there. It won’t be the first time I would have had to pretend, right?” Clint forced humor into his voice, trying to appear like a dutiful friend. Why did he have to promise to make it look real? How could he hold, kiss, even touch Phil under the pretense that they were married? Maybe Nat would have some pointers. “Look, just tell me the details later, ok? I promised Nat I would train with her this morning. Talk later, yeah?” He didn’t even wait for Phil’s response. 

_*_*_

When Clint came running into the training floor, Natasha didn’t even look up from her meditation position. “What’s wrong?” Might as well find out what her friend was freaking out about before he started trying to deflect everything. 

“Phil wants me to pretend to be married to him!” That caused Natasha to look up and focus on the archer. 

“Excuse me?” Natasha had to be sure that she heard correctly. This could be very good for the two idiots. Maybe they would finally admit they had both been hopelessly pining after each other for several years now. 

Clint flopped onto the ground next to the red head, dramatics in full force. “Phil asked me to pretend to be his husband for his sister’s wedding. What should I do?”

“I don’t see why you are freaking out.”

“He wants me to pretend we are married!”

“Aren’t you practically married anyway?”

“No, Natasha, we are not. And I told him I would make it look realistic while we are there. How am I supposed to kiss him? How am I supposed to keep my emotions in check?” Despair was etched into every line on Clint’s face. Natasha’s heart softened for her first friend.

“Oh, брат, believe it or not it will be ok. Maybe you could tell Phil that you love him. That you can’t pretend to be something you have wanted for a while.” It may seem that she only wants them to be happy so that they will leave her alone. Not true. She wanted them to be happy. They deserved it. But, there was still a tiny part of her rejoicing at not hearing how perfect Coulson was, every minute of the day.

Clint glared at Natasha. She knew what his response would be without him saying a word. She knew that he couldn’t tell Phil anything, couldn’t risk losing his one love as a friend. 

“If you didn’t want to take my advice why did you come ask it?”

“Maybe I just wanted a hug and to be told my life did, in fact, suck as much as I think it does.” 

Silence stretched between the two assassins as the hilarity of the statement hung in the air. Quietly chuckling, Natasha stood up and pulled the over-dramatic blonde up with her. “I still think you should tell him. This pining is hurting you more than you realize. Tell you what? How about I beat the shit out of you, and then we go to the range and switch weapons? Just to take your mind off things.” Rude hand gestures were exchanged, but Clint agreed. If he couldn’t solve the problem, then he could damn well ignore it.

_*_*_

A similar conversation was going on in the conference room of Avengers Tower.

“What the hell did I just do, Maria? Will you be my husband? What was I thinking?” 

“You asked the man you have been pining after for years to marry you. Honestly, I don’t think you were. I mean, how are you going to act intimate with him under the scrutiny of your family.” Coulson glared at the smug-faced agent sitting across from him. Maria wanted to help her friend, but she also knew the only way the situation could be fixed was to admit his feelings. To Barton. Not Maria. She had heard plenty on Barton’s perfect hair and arms and lips. She never wanted to listen to Phil talk about the archer ever again. But she would because that is what good friends do. “You could always tell him how you feel.”

“Oh, yeah. Because that is the best idea. Then, not only do I get to explain to my family that I lied to them so that they would leave me alone, I get to lose Clint. No thanks.” Phil knew he was screwed. If the stiff response this morning hadn’t been indicator enough, then the fact that Clint was avoiding him was loud and clear. Clint was doing this out of a favor to a friend. Not because there was any feeling reflected in his heart.

Maria saw her friend spiraling into despair. Reaching out, she grasped his hand in hers. “Phil, I know you are scared to tell him, but I don’t think you have a choice anymore. You can’t keep pretending you feel nothing when Barton jumps off a roof. Or that you don’t ever get jealous over the amount of time he spends with Natasha. Or-” 

“I get Maria. I get it.” And, man, did he sound resigned. “I will tell him. But, I am going to wait until after the wedding. I just want to pretend for a little longer. Besides, my sister scares the hell out of me. If she found I was lying about being married, she would kill me.” The two agents shared small smiles, one out of reassurance and the other out of resignation.

_*_*_

It was one week after Phil asked Clint the fateful question in the kitchen. They were gathering their belongings before they could leave for Wisconsin. The wedding was in three days, but Phil was family. Family was expected to be early. Even though they would only be one day early, there was still a rehearsal dinner to go to and family members to see. “You ready to go?” Phil asked Clint as he walked up with his duffle bag. 

“You know it. Let’s get this show on the road. You want to drive?” 

“We are taking Lola.” The statement alone said enough. Phil didn’t care how much he loved Clint; there was no way in hell that anyone other than him was going to drive Lola. Clint laughed at the protective tone coming from Phil. That man loved his car more than just about anything Clint had ever seen. Even coffee. ‘And me,’ his thoughts taunted, but Clint shoved all negative thoughts to the side. The least he could do is be positive, try to make this as easy on Coulson as possible. 

Phil unlocked the car, shoved the duffle bags in the trunk, and hopped in the driver’s seat. Clint climbed in after situating the suit bags on top of the duffle bags, looking blankly out the windshield, unsure of what to say. The atmosphere was tense, awkward in a way it hadn’t been since they first started working together. Clint wanted to do something, anything, to break the awkwardness, but he was just so damn preoccupied. 

As Phil pulled onto the road, he searched for something to break the tension settling in the car. Desperate for anything, he reaches over and flips on the radio. Loud, incomprehensible music came blaring from the speakers. Clint quickly reached over to shut it off, thankful that Stark designed his hearing aids to block out noises at high volumes or frequencies. 

After a second, the two friends broke into laughter. “What the hell, Phil? Why was your radio on so loud?” 

Amused (and grateful the tension had melted away), Phil responded, “I actually don’t know. I must have bumped the volume dial last week when I was reaching for something in the passenger seat.”

“Sure. That is your story, and you are sticking to it. You just don’t want to admit you love screamo music at the loudest possible volume.” 

Phil spared a hand to swat at Clint. “Oh, shut it. You know that I like music of all types. Just not loud.” As Clint laughed, Phil smiled at the bright noise that he wished happened more often. The rest of the car ride was spent in pleasant conversation, awful singing to awesome songs, and a good time shared by friends. If only they knew the drama headed their way.

_*_*_

“Did you hear Coulson asked Clint to marry him?”

“Yup. Had to listen to Phil whine and question the universe as to what he was thinking. Let alone the unfairness of it all.”

Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff had been friends for a while, but they hadn’t become close until they had the shared duty of listening to their male best friend pine over the other’s male best friend. They were often found commiserating over coffee in the Tower about the boys and their hopelessness. “So, what are we going to do about it?” Maria asked.

“I thought we agreed to not get involved.”

Sighing, Maria replied, “Yes, but this is ridiculous. They are going to a wedding. Together. Pretending to be married. This would be so much easier if they would just admit that they loved each other.”

Natasha smirked. Maybe just once she could interfere in the love life of others. Just this once. “Alright, so what is the plan?”

“Well, you see…”

_*_*_

After two days on the road, Clint and Phil were happy to be in Manitowoc. The hotel that they stopped at was shady at best, but a lot better than some of the places either had stayed for SHIELD missions. No assassins, bugs, crazy villains, or explosions; so, it was a win. Still, they hadn’t been happier to see the family home in their lives. Walking up to the front door, Clint felt Phil’s free hand slide into his. Clint responded by gripping the offered hand tighter, showing his approval. He said he would make it look authentic, right? Phil smiled, his mind rejoicing at finally knowing what the gesture felt like. He couldn’t quite stop the little voice that said that it wasn’t real. Everything was fine until Clint abruptly stopped. 

Phil was pulled back. “What in the world? Why are you stopping in the driveway for no reason?”

“We don’t have rings.” 

Phil was confused. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes the Amazing Hawkeye threw him for a loop. “What?”

“Phil, we don’t have wedding rings. We’re married. How are we going to explain that one?”

Well, shit. He hadn’t really thought about it. Quick, a good lie… “We could say we didn’t want to be targeted by adversaries in our job, so we didn’t get rings because they are too obvious.” Clint mulled the idea over; Phil knew that the man was looking at the lie from many angles. Anyone who said Clint Barton was stupid was a moron themselves. Phil counted him among one of the smartest people he knew. And that list included Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. With Clint’s nod of approval, they continued to the front porch of the Coulson family home. 

The door swung wide open before they could even knock on it, revealing a lovely young woman who looked a lot like Phil in a lot of ways. “Phil!”

“Alyssa!”

The siblings hugged each other before Alyssa pulled back. “My, my. Where are my manners? You must be Clint, Phil’s husband we have never met. So lovely to know you actually exist. I am Alyssa, Phil’s sister. Mom, Dad, and Ethan, my fiancée, are in the kitchen inside. Why don’t you head in while I talk to Phil for a minute?” Clint tenses. He knew this was bad. What if the stories didn’t match up? What if they interrogated him and the whole ruse fell apart? What exactly was he supposed to do?

“Alyssa, the shovel talk is a complete waste of time at this point. I mean, really? Isn’t it a little too late?” Phil’s palms were sweating. If Clint and he were separated, then his whole plan would fall through. How exactly was he supposed to ensure that the stories were the same? Simple answer: you couldn’t. They were boned if he couldn’t throw Alyssa off this idea. 

“Not my choice, big brother. You were the one to get married and not invite everyone. Just be glad it isn’t the whole family!” And with that, Phil was pulled into the front yard toward the treehouse used heavily by the siblings to escape the harsh realities of real life while they were growing up. Clint stood dumbly at the door, unsure what to do for a few minutes. _‘Well, here goes nothing, I guess’_

He stepped into the house, looking to see if he could find any indication that he should leave his shoes at the door. He knew Phil did, but that was usually because one’s work shoes should never be worn in your dwelling when they have the potential of having alien blood on them. He didn’t see a shoe rack, so he stepped quietly into the main part of the house. It was a cozy dwelling. Soft blue-green walls brought a feeling of peace and comfort that should be found in a home. The living room was decorated simply with family pictures and knick-knacks collected from years of building memories. He stepped into the room, drawn to a picture of Phil when he was a teenager. Picking it up, he looked at the man he loved so much. In the picture, Phil was laughing with his sister over something. He was looking at the picture so in depth, he didn’t hear the person walk up behind him.

“You must be Clint. Lyssa loves that picture. She says that the episode they were watching was the easiest to nit-pick. I’m Ethan, by the way.” A low, mellow voice- Ethan, apparently- came from behind Clint. Years as a spy ensured that Clint didn’t jump, but he did stiffen slightly. He didn’t like being snuck up on. 

“Nice to meet you, Ethan. Thanks for explaining the picture. I was wondering what they were laughing about.” Ethan nodded. 

“C’mon,” Ethan gestured to a doorway, “the Coulson’s are eager to meet their son’s husband. I am honestly shocked that Phil got away with pulling that stunt. Alyssa jokingly said that we could elope, and Mrs. Coulson… Well, we will just say things didn’t go well for either of us.” 

A motherly voice, firm but still loving drifted from the upcoming room. “Now, Ethan. You make it sound like I am the Wicked Witch of the West. I just simply couldn’t imagine another of my babies getting married without a proper occasion. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Eileen?” Ethan grinned, sheepishly, before taking his eat in the kitchen again.

“Now, like I just said, my name is Eileen. I am Phil’s mother. This is my husband John, and that is Alyssa’s fiancée Ethan. You must be Clint, Phil’s husband. Please sit. I have so many questions.” Eileen kindly gestured at the wooden chair pulled out at the table. It didn’t escape anyone’s notice that the chair was on the other side of the table from everyone else. Clint nervously eyed the chair across from the three people. Warm and amused smiles met his eyes as the people across from him tried to appear unintimidating to no avail. It simply wasn’t possible to not feel discomfort at the situation the archer was in. Still, Clint wanted to make a good impression. That would be important to the person Phil loved. He reached his hand out to shake hands with his interrogators. 

“My name is Clint Barton, as you know. It’s nice to meet you all. I have heard amazing things about all of you.”

Eileen smiled at the young man that had so thoroughly captured her son’s heart. “Oh. And manners! Please, take a seat, dear. Tell us a little about yourself. What kind of things so you do for fun?”

“Well, it kind of goes without saying that I love archery. Not many people would be willing to go up against aliens with a paleolithic weapon unless they truly loved it. But, even more than that I love to be with my family. Family was something I had to learn about as an adult, but now I can’t imagine my life without the craziness of the Tower or SHIELD headquarters. I have a dog named Lucky, whom Phil jokingly calls Pizza Dog.” At the questioning looks, Clint explains that Lucky will eat any pizza if left where he could reach it, which now means that an extra pizza had to be ordered on Pizza Night. No one wanted Lucky to do without. Clint briefly mentioned his hearing loss, but quickly let the subject drop. Unfortunately, this created an awkward silence where all three sets of eyes were focused on the archer, which caused Clint to squirm in his seat. He was unused to the attention. Lesson one in being a spy: stay out of the spotlight as much as possible. This was even more important for snipers. Clint was just lucky enough to be both and trying to maintain the farce. Fun!

John cleared his throat. He wanted to know more about the young man in front of him. He didn’t want to scare him. Too bad, at least. “So, Clint. Tell us about how you met Phil? He wouldn’t give us any specifics on how you met.” 

“Oh, that is actually a funny story. He shot me.” Clint smirked. This was his favorite story to tell. Especially if they knew Phil well and not Clint. People had a hard time believing the story the first time. Mild mannered Phil Coulson shoots people. WHAT??? 

Eileen, John, and Ethan all had wide eyes at the easy smile on the archer’s face. Ethan was the first person to come out of the shock, so he was the one to ask for clarification. “I am sorry. Did you say shot?”

“Yeah. It was a rainy night, and Phil was tasked with bringing me into SHIELD. I had a problem with authority back then, so I had been running for many months. Finally, Phil managed to get the upper hand on me. Like I said, it was raining, and I was just about to get away when Phil shot me in the side. It wasn’t much more than a flesh wound, but it definitely made me stop. I was going to run off again, when Phil made an offer I couldn’t refuse. So, then I wound up working for SHIELD.”

“What offer could make you want to go to the organization that condoned shooting you?” 

“I got offered the last powdered donut.” The group stared at him.

“You are joking, right?” John asked. Surely, Phil didn’t actually offer a donut to someone he just shot.

“Yes and no. I did get offered the last donut. What made me join SHIELD was the other promise he made me. He promised me I could leave whenever I wanted. I knew right then that Phil would never lie to me. He was someone I could trust. Not everyone would be willing to give up the best marksman in the world because the fancy struck him. It’s why I never minded working for him. He never assumed I was ok with something. He always asked. He always cared what I thought. He still does. That’s what I fell in love with. The loving man who cares about everything with all his heart. He may hide his emotions at work, but I know that they are there. Every time his eyes shine with hidden laughter at something Maria, Nat, or I say. Every time he glares at the coffee pot in the morning for not being quick enough. The way he simply lives his life like every minute means something just makes my heart warm. It makes me so happy to be around him. I sometimes can’t even believe how lucky I am that he accepts someone like me.” Clint smiled, his thoughts bittersweet at how easy it was to tell this story. It hurt, and it was hard to hide. 

A sad smile tugged at the corner of Eileen’s lips. It was so obvious that the young man sitting in front of her was so in love with her Phil. It was also obvious that Clint had a rough childhood that was affecting his ability to see and recognize affection directed towards him. Clint was a good person that much she knew, and the passion and love shining in his blue eyes for her son blew her away. Eileen saw the normal excitement when Clint spoke about archery and Lucky, but his eyes just lit up when he got to talk about Phil. The heart was hard to convince once it had been scorned. Thankfully, her boys (That’s right. In a short amount of time, Eileen realized that Clint was just as much one of her children as Ethan.) had each other to help heal scorned hearts. 

_*_*_

_The Coulson Treehouse_

“Alyssa, why am I being drug to our old treehouse? I have spent the past two days driving to be here in time for your wedding. I would like a little consideration for my trouble.” Alyssa continued to pull her brother, ignoring the numerous complaints flowing from the agent. The two quickly climbed the ladder, neither commenting on the smile that formed on Phil’s lips the minute they crossed the threshold of their childhood safe spot. Delicate fingers ran over the walls and desk, remembering the comic books, laughs, and tears shared by the siblings here. The wood walls held some of the closest kept secrets. This was the place that Phil told his sister, the first to know, that he was gay. It was where they shared tears when the writers of the best comic book ever decided to end the series. It was also where Phil held his sister when she was stood up for her senior prom. The same year, Alyssa comforted her brother as he tried to get over his boyfriend cheating on him. Countless more memories were held in the walls of the Fortress of Solitude as the Coulson siblings had named it so long ago. 

Phil turned to his sister now, though, fully in the present. “Spill. You would only bring me here if you want to know something or something is wrong. Is it Ethan? Are you having second thoughts? I can-”

Alyssa clamped her hand over her big brother’s mouth before he could go spiraling into a tunnel of worry and threats. “Nothing is wrong between me and Ethan. I can’t wait for the wedding. I love him more than anything.”

“But?”

“Why does there have to be a but? You, know I could just want to talk to my loving brother I haven’t seen in almost a year!” Phil simply raised an unbelieving eyebrow at Alyssa. The try again was implied, no need to say it.

“Ok, fine. I want to know something.” Phil nodded solemnly, curling onto the floor of the treehouse with quietly protesting knees. He wasn’t a kid anymore, but, hey, he would do anything for his sister. Alyssa plopped on the ground next to Phil, thinking on her question. How to ask without making Phil close off completely?

Alyssa chewed on her lip in contemplation; Phil sat still, thinking of ways to deflect any questions his sister asked to get back to Clint. “So, Phil?” Alyssa’s voice was curious and soft, knowing the situation required delicacy. 

“Hmm?”

“Why won’t you tell Clint you love him?” 

Phil should be ashamed at how easily the question threw him for a loop. All pretense of a calm exterior fell away. Of all the questions he was preparing for, that one was not even on the list of possibilities!

“Umm, I- uh… Well, what?” Phil was floundering, and Alyssa had to be careful to not laugh at the astounded expression on the normally stoic agent’s face.

“Phil. Come on. Do you really expect me to believe you got married without telling Mom beforehand? Or me? We tell each other everything. You were the first person I told I got engaged. Besides, you should know by now girls stick together. We have to help out our sisters who are suffering from constant pining.” 

The confusion quickly melted to betrayal and anger. “Maria and Nat! How dare they? It isn’t their place to meddle in my life! And, you! You should be ashamed in going with their plan, Alyssa. We never betrayed each other like that. How could you?” 

A small flash of pain flared in the youngest Coulson’s eyes, but was quickly replaced by anger and determination of her own. “How could I? Are you kidding me Phillip? You lied to us about being married! All because you didn’t want to go on dates. You could have just asked. Instead, you are hurting that young man and yourself by pretending that you don’t feel anything. Clint loves you. I only had to look at the smile he had when you slipped your hand into his outside. The hope in his eyes was so bright it hurt. So, how dare you? How dare you deny yourself every happiness you deserve, big brother?” The words lost their anger, fading into tearful words at the end. Phil pulled his sister into a hug, shushing her and apologizing for his accusations. They were uncalled for, and he knew it. 

“I am sorry, Lyssa. You just hit too close to home. I want to tell him, but I don’t want to lose him. As much as I want to tell him, I don’t want to lose him more. I know you claim you see love, but I just don’t know if I can believe it. I can’t lose him. I just can’t, Lyssa. I would rather keep him as a friend and never admit that I love him than lose him forever.” Alyssa hugged her brother, knowing that he had been scorned before. She knew Clint wasn’t like that, though. One look at the look on his face told her all she needed to know. It was the same look she and Ethan shared, the same one her parents still shared. She just had to convince Phil. Her phone dinged, and she quickly checked it. It was text from Ethan

_Hey. Bring Phil inside, now. This is something he needs to hear. But be QUIET. Clint is hard to sneak up on!_

“I can prove it to you that Clint loves you Phil. All you have to do is follow me.” Hesitantly, Phil followed his sister. Where could they be going? As they headed to the house, Phil started to resist going any further. Alyssa pulled him with her. They needed to get inside quickly, damnit! She was not letting her brother throw away his happiness! 

They quickly, but silently, got into the house, hiding behind the wall that separated the kitchen and living room just in time to hear Clint speak. 

“-fell in love with. The loving man who cares about everything with all his heart. He may hide his emotions at work, but I know that they are there. Every time his eyes shine with hidden laughter at something Maria, Nat, or I say. Every time he glares at the coffee pot in the morning for not being quick enough. The way he simply lives his life like every minute means something just makes my heart warm. It makes me so happy to be around him. I sometimes can’t even believe how lucky I am that he accepts someone like me.” 

Phil heard the truth in every word spoken by the archer; they had known each other, _loved each other_ , for long enough to be able to tell when the other was lying only by sound. Clint’s speech was his normal flowing speech pattern, not the measured, almost clipped rhythm it took on when he lied. He gasped softly, quiet enough he was sure no one else heard it. He almost couldn’t believe it, but he knew it was the truth. Now the only thing was to step around the corner. Clint was facing away from him; Phil made eye contact with his soon-to-be brother-in-law. ‘Thank you’ he mouthed. Ethan inclined his head.

“You aren’t lying.” It wasn’t a question, and Clint knew it. He tensed at the sound of Phil’s voice. He wasn’t ready to confront the storm that was brewing. He didn’t know if he could face a disappointed and disgusted Coulson. He slowly turned to face Phil, bracing himself for hatred, rejection, anger, betrayal-

But, Clint didn’t see a trace of any of those things. Love, acceptance, relief. _Love!_ Phil’s eyes shone with everything he always hoped to find but would never let himself dream to think might happen. “No. I wasn’t lying.” Phil stepped forward, pulling Clint to standing. He leaned their foreheads together. 

“I love you, Clint Barton. I always have. I always will.” A deep breath pulled across the archer’s chapped lips. Chapped, _distracting_ lips. 

“I love you too, Phil Coulson. I can’t imagine anyone else that is more perfect.” It only took a breath before the two softly connected their lips. 

The kiss was chaste, soft. Perfect for the moment. The other Coulson’s let out soft cheers, pulling the couple apart. 

“Oh, don’t let us stop you. Please, continue. I would _love_ to see where this goes, big brother.”

Chuckling, Phil responded, “You wish.”

“Alyssa! That is your older brother, and your fiancée is sitting right here!” Eileen admonished. Honestly! Laughter resounded through the kitchen; John and Ethan with the loudest laughs. Phil pulled Clint to sit at the table, occupying the only two chairs left. This left Alyssa to either sit on the table, a sin in her mother’s house, or on Ethan. Ethan’s lap it was then. This brought a whole new protest from the Coulson matriarch, which was laughed off like the previous one admonition. The family began to joke and laugh together well into the afternoon. The new couple happily sitting together, basking in the fact that their love could grow. They would never have to be alone. 

_*_*_

The wedding went perfectly. The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the day before went off without a hitch. And you know how the saying goes. Perfect practice makes perfect performance. Oh, and Ethan and Alyssa were happily celebrating their first anniversary, looking to start a family soon. Their own wedding had gone perfectly exactly 364 days earlier. Natasha and Maria were proud to serve as the “Best Woman” for their best friends, happy that the men pulled their heads out of their asses. The whole Coulson clan plus the Avengers and SHIELD higher-ups attended the wedding of Phillip J. Coulson and Clinton Francis Barton. It was a beautiful ceremony held in the privacy of the Coulson family home, despite the generous offers from Stark. 

“Hey, Phil?”

“Yes, love?”

“I love you. I always have. I always will.” Clint said quoting the words Phil said to him exactly one year ago today.

“I love you too, Clint. I can’t imagine anyone more perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Let me know?
> 
> Have a prompt? Put it below too.
> 
> Peace out people of Earth and surrounding planets!


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